


System Failure

by Allaboardthetrashcompactor



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Eventual Smut, Hux needs a hug, M/M, hux fights dirty, kylo ren to the rescue, kylo you little shit, problematic gays in space, tw: attempted suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-27 03:40:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6268102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allaboardthetrashcompactor/pseuds/Allaboardthetrashcompactor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the destruction of Starkiller base Hux has saved Kylo Ren, and the Finalizer is now heading for Snoke's planet. This means Hux has some time to collect his thoughts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Two beasts sharing a cage

**Author's Note:**

> My very first Kylux fic, woah.  
> Many, many thanks to @FinalizerPsytech, the best beta I could ever ask for!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as well.

"All right, you have the bridge. I'm going to check on Ren."

"Yes, sir."

He left the bridge of the Finalizer and walked the corridors. The people who saw him didn't dare to look at him in the eye, as always. This time, he felt they were avoiding him even more. A couple of officers looked genuinely surprised at his bloodstained uniform, but nobody said anything. They were too busy anyway. _Good,_ he thought.  
He waited for the lift to get to the medbay, and stared at the floor. He felt nauseated, bile rising up in his stomach.  
He couldn't bear to think about what had happened. His Starkiller. His top project. His most majestic achievement turned into a glorious failure. The work of a lifetime turned to debris.  
He stood straight and forced himself to control his breathing.

_That's better. Don't let anybody even think you could possibly be weak._

When the lift arrived, he had already decided he wasn't going to see Ren. He headed for his own quarters instead. He needed some time alone.  
And he was feeling like he could murder Ren with his own hands, if he saw his face.

No one could see Hux now, so he allowed himself to shiver, overwhelmed by these last hours.  
He grasped the edges of the sleeves of his once pristine uniform as if he could tear it apart. Better than when he scraped his palms with his nails, anyway.  
His laughter was bitter. He had failed, sure, but Ren's failure had been even more grandiose. He had been bested by a mere scavenger girl, or so he had told him in his ramblings when Hux personally oversaw that he was carried safe to the medbay.

_I hope he doesn't break anything there. We need everything working. So many wounded troopers deserve that place more than him._

He couldn't believe he once desired that man. Oh, he had let his thoughts wander to him more than once, in shame at first and realising he couldn't control his tastes later.  
It had been months since he had first seen him without his mask, and even if it remained a rare sight, Hux had realised he could not forget the face of the Knight.  
The man who was the cause of everything. It was his fault if the rebellion had succeded, it was his fault if, after such a long time, the General felt broken. His body ached, but it was his mind that felt shattered to pieces. 

Ren was allowed to fail. Retrieve him, Snoke had said. Everything was collapsing, in his mind and in the base around him, and not a mention of it. He was not going to be allowed to stay there, to meet the end he deserved. A dignified end for a man who was not allowed to fail. This meant only one thing: his punishment was going to be painful. Horrible. 

And what will his family think of him? Ren may have murdered his father, if what he had said was true, but Brendol Hux was still alive and well. He started to understand the Knight's deed.  
His father's disapproving expression materialized in his mind. The stern face of his mother followed. The mockery of his siblings, even.

_Perhaps they'll do better than me. Perhaps they'll make my father proud. They will not make stupid mistakes._

He breathed heavily. 

_This will be my last failure._

He removed his gloves and folded them neatly on the desk.  
He took out the blaster. A faint blue light buzzed as it recognized his fingerprints.

_If I have to go it will be my way. With honor. Like the great officers of the past._

He wasn't shaking anymore. There was a great calm in him: he felt like the sea after a storm, the waves settling down quietly.

_Maybe if I die like this they'll give my body to my parents for a proper burial, since my honor is restored._

He placed it against his temple. Held his breath. Pulled the trigger.  
Nothing happened.  
He resisted the urge to scream. He wished he could, but he found no voice in his throat. Instead, he started shivering again.

_What a failure. I can't even kill myself._

He tried again, the blaster did not respond.  
A great noise in the corridor. The door opened with a rasping scream, one that was familiar to him, ordering others to wait outside  
Kylo Ren stormed inside, a pale bleeding ghost draped in unfinished bandages with his arm raised and grasping the air.

_Overdramatic as always._

Ren's eyes were focused on the blaster. He closed the doors behind him with the Force.

"Don't!" 

The Knight's voice had an hint of despair. He looked like a mad, wounded animal. A picture painted in three colors: the black of his hair and robes, the white of his alabaster skin and the red of the blood dripping from his face and side.

"What do you want, Ren?"

He tried to look calm and composed, but he still shivered. He was thankful that his voice wasn't shaking so much. It was hard, he realized, to keep the usual composure and behaviour he reserved for the Knight, in such a situation.  
Hux felt as if his weakness was there, laid in the open, for everybody to see. As if someone had just opened his ribcage, tearing it rib by rib, and was now exposing his heart, ready to be stabbed.

"This is your fault, isn't it?"

He managed to say, examining the blaster.  
The weapon flew right to the dark haired man's hand. He kept it.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?" 

"You should be in the medbay." Hux tried to reply.

 _And you shouldn't be trying to kill yourself,_ the sentence reached Hux's mind through the Force.  
Hux wasn't sure that he liked how it felt, in fact, he decided he didn't. But he appreciated that Ren had not said it out loud.

"You hate me so much you don't even want me to die a dignified death, worthy of my rank?" The General's voice was little more than a whisper.

"You... you are not allowed to die."

"You can't give me orders."

"The Supreme Leader can."

Silence. Drops of Kylo Ren's blood stained the polished floor. There was noise outside, but Hux could swear he only heard the Knight's heavy, slow breathing. Another element that made him similar to a wounded beast. Hux wondered which of them was wounded more deeply.

 __Maybe that's what we are. Two wounded beasts sharing a cage.

"You're not the Supreme Leader."

"Did you get your grades by pointing out the obvious? If he wanted you to die, he would have already killed you. This means he has plans."

"Yes, and they involve killing me. Making an example of me. Wouldn't it be perfect? In his place, I would do it."

"The Supreme Leader will not kill you." stated Kylo Ren.

"How can you be so sure?" 

"I felt it... I have visions of the future, through the Force. And you're in them."

"Great, if witchcraft says so..." A mirthless laughter from the General. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing.

He felt compelled to look at Ren, he felt the Knight's eyes pointed on him. And then he felt it.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Head." hissed Hux. "And of my room as well." he added.

The mental intrusion stopped.

"Very well, " Kylo Ren replied, cold.

"I'm keeping this until it's necessary." added the Knight, putting the blaster at his belt, then reopened the doors.

"Try not to do anything stupid while I'm in the medbay."

"Try not to destroy anything."

When the Knight left, Hux sat at his desk and sighed. Everything had felt so unreal. 

_You can't die. My life on this ship would be immensely boring without you._ A last mental message from Kylo Ren reached the General's thoughts, and he could feel Ren smirking even in his mind.


	2. The two beasts studying each other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we enter Kylo Ren's mind, and we learn that he has visions about Emperor Hux... and doesn't know what to do about them. Or about anything, really. Typical Ren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter is here! Man, writing from Kylo's pov is really hard, so I hope you'll enjoy this.  
> Also, I have decided the amount of chapters, there will be 4.  
> Thanks again to @finalizer-psytech for the beta!

_The sun is shining perfectly, the sky is bright and clear. It's a room, and there is a balcony. There's something in the air. Snow? It can't be... yes, it's flowers. Petals of all colours and shapes in a beautiful rain. Outside there are voices. Not enraged, no, cheering. And there is a man. He's still in the room, so the people outside can't see him yet. He wears a cape that reaches his knees, and tall, elegant boots.  
He wears something on his head, something that keeps changing shape. First it's a giant, elaborate crown that would make the royalty of Naboo proud. Then it's a simple circlet of gold. Then a curved shape, as if a snake was resting around the man's head. And when the man looks at Kylo, it looks like golden laurels. And his hair is like fire, and his eyes are like ice, but there's a warmth in them as he looks at Kylo and extends his arm towards him. His smile is firm, but radiant, like a statue of a benevolent god. He takes Kylo's hand._

_"Come with me." He says, and his voice is like honey and steel, sweet but with a promise of strength._

_As Kylo's fingers touch the man's, everything fades._

Kylo Ren woke up drenched in sweat, his hair stuck to his face, cursing the human need for sleep.

"Lights, twenty percent."

The lights flickered. His room was a mess; more than usually. The glass and the bottle on his desk were both shattered to pieces, drops of water joining the small puddle that had formed at the desk's feet. His datapad was on the floor, probably broken. The chaos in his bedroom was a witness to the intensity of his vision.

_Again,_ he realized breathing heavily.

This time it had been stronger than ever. This time he had actually seen the man's face. Not that he needed to, he already knew it was Hux. Only, it was a different Hux. A future Hux, perhaps. The Hux he knew never looked this serene, not even when he pretended to.

_Is he truly destined to rule the galaxy? Or do these visions mean I should do something? Maybe prevent it?_

The idea of preventing it sounded so weird in his head at the moment, so absurd. When Hux had looked at him, he had felt so welcome, so relaxed, so happy. So loved even.  
The smaller things in his bedroom had started to float again in the air.  
He hid his face behind his hands. He took a deep breath. It couldn't be. It simply couldn't be. Everything settled down quietly, the shards of broken glass hitting his desk with a small tink. He felt he was back in control… but he couldn’t stop thinking.  
When he had arrived on the Finalizer under Snoke's orders, he had expected to find it commanded by an old and gallant officer, like Tarkin. It would have been an honour for him, to be like his grandfather. But no, Hux had to be young and handsome. Bitter, power-hungry in his own unique way, the product of a lifetime of devotion to the Order and hard work.  
And he certainly refused to be bossed around by Kylo. It was a test of his patience, he was sure the Supreme Leader had planned everything to be just so.  
He wondered if the Supreme Leader had any idea of his visions. Could he feel them?

I hope not, he considered, as he thought about his other dreams. The ones that were truly dreams, not visions from the Force. And Hux was in those, too.

Meditation was of no use, in those circumstances. He had tried it, but found no guidance. He remembered the legends about Darth Vader: about how his grandfather had powerful visions from the Force as well, and how these visions ended up changing everything. No, he couldn't bear thinking about it anymore.  
He left the bed and got dressed in his training clothes.

_If I can't sleep, I must use this time properly. Train. Regain control. Feel the Force flow._

And he surely felt it, as he focused on the ship. Thousands of people. Some were sleeping, some were working. Patrolling the corridors. Monitoring the course. Writing reports. Scared people, tired people, silent people, talkative people, a veritable flow of data.  
For a moment he felt tempted to search for the General, but he shook his head and focused only on the corridors. They were empty. He opened the door, and left.

He went for the officers' training room. Nobody was there at this time of the night cycle anyway, and his personal training room was even in an even poorer condition than his own bedroom, as a result of a particular equipment-smashing tantrum. He had not been able to control his own power, and had felt anger and shame.  
If Hux was right about one thing, it was that he needed discipline. Of course, it was easy for Hux to speak, realized Ren, sneering. Because training men is one thing; training Force users is another. The General didn't understand the power of the Force, and his lineage, unlike Ren’s, had not shaped the destiny of the galaxy for generations. Hux was just a cog in the machine.

_Or was he?_ Wondered the Knight, when he remembered his visions.

Right in front of the door, he came to a halt. Because, he sensed, the room wasn't empty. Hux. _What's he doing here now? Doesn't he have a speech to work on?_

He hesitated. They had met only a couple of times after THE event, and in both of situations he had asked Ren to reveal to him his visions. Ren had refused. He even suspected Hux was asking not because he really believed in them, but because he understood it made Ren uncomfortable. A weakness to exploit.  
Ren had checked on him multiple times - only to ensure his safety, of course – to find that his mind had become, to his utmost surprise, somewhat easier to access. Not to read, but to access, as if after his foolish attempt Hux had left the backdoor of this mind slightly open. And Ren could peer through. He had felt him drowned in work, refusing sleep and living on caf and just enough food, desperately trying to make his "fierce machine" work as efficiently as possible. At first he had thought that the small fear he sensed, lingering at the edge of the General's mind, pushing him further, was just his refusal to succumb again to suicidal thoughts, maybe with a hint of guilt. It wasn't the case. Deep down, he had sensed, Hux still feared Snoke's punishment.

The Knight drew a deep breath, and punched the room's code. The door swung open, revealing the General doing push ups, only wearing a pair of grey pants and a white tank top with the omnipresent symbol of the First Order. His perfect hair wasn't combed into place any longer, and it stuck to his sweaty face. _So much for the benevolent god._

"Enjoying the view?" Asked the General, panting.

"Just the fact that you're still alive and kicking."

Hux rose up to his feet. "Why haven't you filed a request for repairing droids? Your training room would be in good condition by now, and I could work out in peace."

"You do know everything that happens on this ship." He crossed his arms, and managed to look sarcastically impressed.

"That's my job, isn't it. Now..."

"How many of those can you do? Push-ups, I mean." Ren knew the General didn't like being interrupted, that was why he did it so often.

"Wha- Fifty. Satisfied now?” He said. _Why do you even care, why can't you stop being such a complete nuisance?_ He thought, and loud enough that Ren could perceive it.

"You seemed to appreciate my presence when I saved your life."

"I saved yours, back at the collapse of Starkiller base. I feel no debt towards you."

The General radiated waves of discomfort at his own mention of that name. Despite the fact that it was just the two of them, Ren had a hard time pinpointing Hux's exact feelings. He was still a master at controlling his emotions: a veritable challenge for the Knight.

"That's only fair." replied Ren with a smirk.

"Great. Now, how about..."

"You're in better shape than I thought. I presumed it was just your coat." He mimicked the shape of the coat with his hands.

"Ren, I have better things to do than trying to understand if you're trying to insult me or flirt with me. In both cases, you're doing poorly." He reclined on the floor doing sit ups.

Ren couldn't help it: he had to provoke him, somehow. He wanted to push him over the edge, to break that perfect, sleek, toned body housing the most methodical and cruel mind he had ever seen. _Break him before you break down for him, he told himself.  
Break him, or you will bend for him. Kneel to him._

"I am afraid I'll never be good as you with speeches. I express myself in other ways.” He took a deep breath, adding a dramatic pause. “Fight me, General. Show me you're more than pretty words."

"My words are far from pretty." The red-haired man sneered, determined to ignore Ren.  
"And I have nothing to demonstrate to you. Besides… I wouldn't ask you to design a weapon."

"I'm not going to use the Force. It would be boring.."

The General interrupted his workout and got up. The two beasts were studying each other. Baring their teeth and sharpening their claws.

"On one condition."

"What is it?" Ren realized he was getting impatient. He felt the need to lose and find himself again in the heat of battle. To feel his muscles ache; to taste his own blood, even. He could agree to it, whatever Hux wanted, as long as it made him forget everything else. He had been idle for too long after his injuries. He almost didn't care about winning. Beating the smug General was just a nice bonus.

"If I win, you'll reveal me the visions you had about me."

Kylo Ren suddenly cared about winning the fight.


End file.
